


Not in time

by LizardWithAComputer



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Dark, F/M, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Sad Ending, Tears
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-04-17 10:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 3,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21714325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizardWithAComputer/pseuds/LizardWithAComputer
Summary: Callum didn’t make it up the spire in time to see rayla fall.!FEELS WARNING!
Relationships: Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 112





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Man why am I so much better at writing dark? Why would I do this? I don’t know.  
I will probably add more chapters later.

“Hello? Rayla? Zym?” His voice echoed inside the cavern at the top of the spire. His legs hurt from the stairs. He noticed bait in the corner, a deep grayish blue color. He picked bait up and carried him around. He kept calling rayla and zym and when they weren’t responding he was starting to get a bit worried. A strong gut feeling of dread came over him. Something was wrong. He noticed a small patch of ice in front of Queen Zubeia’s room and his worry deepened. He climbed up to the pinnacle where he found zym staring over the ledge.  
“Hey what’s up little guy?” He said walking over. He sat down next to zym when he noticed the baby dragon was crying and whimpering. He placed bait next to him and rubbed zym’s mane.  
“What’s wrong zym? Where’s rayla?” He asked. Zym climbed into his lap and started bawling, the baby dragon’s tears soaking callum’s scarf. Zym looked at the ledge again and whimpered.

Realization hit Callum like a brick.

“RAYLA!” he called over the edge, “rayla, please no. No no no!”  
Tears sprang into his eyes.  
He thought of her lilac violet eyes.  
Manus.  
He thought of her curved horns.  
Her warm, welcoming smile.  
Pluma.  
He thought of her sleek, silvery hair that shined like the moon.  
He thought of her small four-fingered hands and her warm embrace.  
Volantus.

His arms started tingling as the feathers grew. As soon as his wings were done, he dove over the edge.  
This is all my fault, he thought.  
He kept calling her name.  
His heart dropped when he saw two puddles of blood and a trail of drops and drag marks. He followed the trail and ended up by a cave.  
He was scared to go inside. What would wait for him in there? He sneaks in to see a familiar figure slumped in the corner.  
Viren.  
He looked pretty dead, could’ve dragged himself here and died. But he saw another trail. 

He peeked into the next cavern and saw something that made his heart stop.  
Rayla’s broken body was lying on the ground, her left arm and neck bent at strange angles, her horn broken,  
Her face was peaceful, dispite the blood coming from her mouth and hairline.  
She was in a pool of blood.

He rushed to her body, crying.

Then, he noticed something strange.

A slit in her chest, like a stab wound.

Someone killed her.

“R-rayla p-please no, no. D-don’t leave me! Please...” he sobbed.

Stones clattered in the background. 

“Callum”

He turned and saw the face of his childhood crush, Claudia. Her hair looked bleached and messed up. She had blood all over her clothes. “Callum, I know this seems...horrible” she said, averting eye contact. He noticed the bloody dagger in her hand.

“What. Did. You. Do.” Callum said, suddenly seething with anger, “why would you kill her?! Look what you did!” He saw red, tears streaming from his eyes.  
“I-I needed to be sure she was dead, I-I thought I c-could use her body to bring my father back. I’m so, so sorry, but I need my dad.” She said, wiping tears from her eyes.

He couldn’t believe his ears, he saw red, lots of it. “HOW COULD YOU?!” He didn’t know what he was doing, his hand sketching fulmanis in the air. He was about to realease when he saw the fear and betrayal in claudia’s eyes. He started bawling as he picked up rayla’s body and ran.

“Help! Help! Somebody!” He screamed as he cradled rayla’s body in his arms.the first person to see him was his aunt, General Amaya. Her eyes went wide as she ran to them, janai and Gren followed. Amaya signed something to Gren, “I’m sorry, she’s gone...” he translated, janai called for some healers. Callum pulled rayla up to a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her, he started to sob and cry. “Rayla it’s okay, you did it! You took down Viren! He can’t hurt anybody else now...” he said to her quietly, “rayla...I love you.” He said finally before sun fire medics lifted her body onto a stretcher and carried her away. Amaya put her hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a hug. Callum cried and cried onto her shoulder. She rubbed his back as he whimpered and shook.


	2. The leap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She hit the ground and her world became pain

How dare he.

“You’re to late, we’ve already begun” shrilled Viren with that stupid sinister smile on his face. The baby dragon in the whirl of purple screamed in anguish once more, struggling to escape. There was only one thing rayla could do. She lifted her blades and charged, only to be met with a whiplash of darkness causing her blades to rocket out of her hands. What else could she do? 

She suddenly knew what.

She charged forward, throwing herself and Viren over the edge into the clouds below. She fulfilled her purpose, protect the dragon prince with her life. One word rang in her mind.

Callum.

‘I’m sorry Callum’ she whispered in her mind. She felt the air around her lashing at her skin as she plummeted. She was falling fast. Her life flashed before her eyes.

Holding her swords for the first time.  
Runaan nodding his head approvingly after she successfully hopped from roof to roof for the first time.  
Joking with Ethari.  
The excitement about her first mission as an assassin.  
Sparing the guard’s life.  
Chasing Callum through the halls of the castle.  
Seeing the egg.  
That night on the back of the ambler in the midnight desert where she and Callum kissed for the third time.  
And now this. 

She opened her eyes right in view of the rocks below. She shrieked as she collided with the earth and suddenly her world filled with pain as her vision faded to black.

She squinted her eyes open, the pain was unbearable.

‘I’m..alive’ she thought as her vision spun into something seeable. It suddenly occurred that she couldn’t move. She needs Callum.

“Help! I’m down here! Help me! I can’t move!” She called, “Callum!”  
It was no use no one could hear her.

So she thought.

Footsteps, then sobbing. She couldn’t look to see who it was. She knew it wasn’t Callum, otherwise he’d be by her side.   
“Help me! Please!” She called to the person, “I-I can’t move!”

A familiar face came into view.

She had long dark, purple tipped hair. Her eyes were filled with tears. It was Claudia. “Please, help me...I’m sorry about how I treated you, but you did betray us, just...I’ll make it up to you, just please help me so I can see Callum again, or at least bring him here. Just...something!” She cried. Claudia said nothing as she used her foot to push her onto her back, stepping onto her chest. “I’m sorry Callum” Claudia muttered while holding up the dagger she had been carrying. “Tell him I love him...” rayla sighed. She layed her head back as Claudia brought the dagger down and stabbed her through the heart. The pain was unbearable for a few seconds, her last thought was, ‘but...why?’ As her world faded for good.


	3. ‘I’m sorry callum’

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claudia drops the knife, shaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imma try an write 2 chapters every day

“I’m sorry callum” she thought aloud as she brought the knife down into the heart of the elf. Blood soaked her hands quickly. She dropped the knife, hands shaking,

“What have I done?” She said in a small voice, bringing her hands up to her face, “What have I-“ she gasped, her lungs weren’t working.

‘She pushed your father over a cliff,

She’s callum’s best friend,

She killed your father, 

Callum loved her,

You can use her now.’

Claudia’s thoughts raced back and forth in her skull. 

Wait. If a Moonshadow elf’s eyes can create true sight sirum, what can the rest of her make. She’ll figure out when she finds a better place.  
She hooks her arms under her father’s and drags him to the cave near by, leaning him on the wall. She went back for the elf, grabbing her ankle and dragging her to the cave, into a different cavern. She lifted the elf onto a rocky ledge and opened her book.

‘Eyes fire trusight sirum, skin for temporary invisibility, an elven heart for revival. She looked into the last page about bringing people back to life, she needed this girl’s heart. She’s never done this before, but she can try. She hovers the knife over rayla’s chest ready to slice when she hears noise outside, 

That must be callum.


	4. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He thought they’d be together forever.

‘My fault. My fault. My fault.’ His mind raced. ‘I was too slow.’

His eyes were puffy and red. He felt as if he drained himself of liquid through his eyes. He stared at the ceiling, ‘what do I do now?’

“Callum?” He heard Ezran’s voice say, “are you ok? Where’s rayla?”

‘Oh shit, I haven’t told him yet-‘ his mind quickly yelped. 

“I-*sob* didn’t make it in time. She’s gone, and it’s all my fault.” The tears returned to his eyes and started to pour onto the floor. Ezran came to his side, “it wasn’t your fault, callum. You didn’t know what was going on. And even if somehow it was, we both know she would still love you, she still does, I know it. She’s not the kind of person who would blame you for an accident you had no control over, I know it!” 

‘How is this kid so smart-?’ He thought as he continued to sob and cry, “and what’s worse,” he started, “Claudia killed her. I could’ve helped rayla and brought her back , but that...that....snake killed her! She would’ve used her body for horrible dark magic. I used to swoon this person.” He cried, he then felt ezran’s hands around him, pulling him into a hug, they cried together, knowing that wherever rayla was now, is better than the world Claudia ripped her from.


	5. Sunken

The silvergrove hasn’t awaken yet. All accept for one. Ethari had felt a sudden urge to check rayla’s flower in the pond. he walked outside into the darkness and stood at the water’s edge, just watching silently. 

The flower bobbed once. Ethari inhaled sharply,

And watched as it slipped away into the depths of the pool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry my chapters have been short lately.


	6. It hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It hurts Amaya to see her nephew so sad.

As the sun was setting, Amaya decided to talk to callum, to at least try to make him feel just a little bit better. She walked up to the pinnacle to find callum sitting at the ledge, staring down into the clouds. She sat down next to him and he signed a sad hello. ‘You doing okay?’ She signs to him, 

‘It was my fault. I took too long to get here, I didn’t get to catch her in my wings and fly back up here, she fell. She was too strong to let the fall kill her, but Claudia did, and now I feel like an idiot for getting rayla into this whole thing anyway’ he signed, ‘there’s so many things I regret, not trusting her, telling you she’s a monster, forcing her to be sick in a boat, everything I did wrong.’

Amaya put a hand on his shoulder and signed, ‘I thought the same sort of thoughts after your mother passed, I felt almost exactly how you’re feeling, and got through it, and so can you.’ 

‘But you’re a strong, confident, brave fighter. And I’m just someone who can throw wind at people and draw. I’ll never be as strong as you.’

‘No you won’t,’ she signed back to him, ‘you’ll be stronger’


	7. I don’t know what to do...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He’d never seen the step prince this sad...other than the time he found out that assassins were coming to kill his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven’t updated, school hit me like a truck

He hadn’t heard or seen from anyone what happened to elf girl, but he knew it messed up callum and Ezran pretty badly. He vaguely remembered ‘accidentally’ overhearing that it had something to do with Claudia and Viren. This made him sadder, because he had a gut feeling that Claudia was the reason rayla was dead. He lay there in the veiled below the spire and stared up into the stars. It was late, he should get back. Just as he started to get up, he heard stones clatter and small sobbing from somewhere around the spire.  
He unsheathed his sword and made his way around the spire to find a dark rocky area with a bunch of caves in the side. He saw someone slumped on the ground. He couldn’t recognize the silhouette because of the fog.

As he got closer, the sobbing grew louder. He got close enough to finally see some details of the person’s features. It was Ezran. And he was crying.

“Ez? You okay?” Soren asked him. 

“Why did Claudia do it?” He sobbed. Why did she do what? He thought. He sat down next to the small king then realized what he was crying over,

A piece of horn in a splatter of dried blood.

“Oh...this must be where she....” Soren mumbled when Ezran broke down,

“Callum thinks it’s his fault! I can’t figure out how to make him feel better! No matter what I say or do, he always has that look of guilt written all over his face! I don’t know how to help, and the longer he goes without help, the more pain he feels! It’s not his fault, it’s viren’s!” Ezran cried, his voice   
Breaking as she sobbed. Soren didn’t know how to react, “don’t worry ez, we can help him together, all of us. I’m so sorry you feel this way” Soren said softly


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was there, in front of him.

Callum couldn’t sleep. His head was buzzing on and on about rayla. He turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling before turning onto his left and facing the rest of the room. With a sigh he closed his eyes and slipped into nothing.

He opened his eyes and couldn’t move. It was like invisible bindings held him in place.he was paralyzed. ‘Great. Sleep paralysis’ he thought.

Just then he saw a familiar figure walk past his doorway. His heart skipped a beat when rayla’s face poked into his door way. She walked in and smiled warmly, then she came and sat on the bed, putting her hand on his shoulder. ‘You’re here! I missed you so much, I’m sorry I couldn’t get there in time! I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry!’ He tried to say, but nothing came out. He tried and tried to talk, to yell, to scream. Nothing. She just smiled at him.

“It’ll be okay, sad prince” she said in barely a whisper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapters are so short, I don’t have time to write really long ones


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezran has to be the one to explain what’s going on to zym...feels warning if for some reason u didn’t read previous chapters...

Everyone is down, including Ezran.

He always tries to keep a lighter tone in times like this but nothing is working. 

Rayla’s gone and Callum blames himself. No matter how many times Ezran tries to make him feel better about himself, by the next hour Callum is wollowing in self doubt. 

How does he get Callum to not hate himself? How? Nothing is working. No matter what he tries, nothing works.

Ezran decides to go get something to eat and picks up bait. He starts to walk towards the dining room, still deep in thought.

‘I miss rayla’ he thinks

She was super funny and was really good at protecting everyone. They needed her and she needed them...she was pretty much family,

But so was Claudia. 

She was like a big sister to them and she turned around and betrayed them. 

Why would she do it? Why? That’s what was confusing him at the moment, why?

As he walks through the halls, he bumps into zym.

‘Where’s rayla? I went to the bottom of the mountain but she wasn’t there.’ Zym asks him in his adorable squeaky voice.

“Oh zym...she’s...she’s...” tears start to fill his eyes and he sits down.

‘She....left?’ The tiny zym looked scared and sad,

“Yeah...she’s...better off where ever she is now..” the tears started again, he couldn’t hold them back.

Zym was quiet.

‘Will she ever come back?’ Zym cocked his head a little.

“No..I don’t think she will, zym” Ezran kept crying and zym climbed up into his lap and curled up, looking sad.

“But...she saved you, zym.” Ezran smiled and ran his hand through Zym’s fur. “And that’s what she wanted.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum has another dream of rayla

The days have blurred together. They all go by in a few minutes it seems. But Callum was laying back in his bed, still having trouble sleeping. 

It seems like every time something starts to get better again and life seems to be improving, something, anything, happens and that good feeling is cut short.

He wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but he woke up in his room. There’s no sunlight coming in so it must be early in the morning.

Callum got out of bed and sat on the edge. He feels numb. He misses rayla. A lot. 

As soon as his thoughts mentioned her name, he heard light footsteps outside his room in the hallway. He lay back down, expecting it to be Ezran after a night terror, but was surprised and overjoyed to hear the distinct sound of Rayla’s butterfly blades snapping closed. 

Callum tried to call rayla’s name, but there was no sound. So Callum shot up out of his bed and stopped just short of crashing face first into rayla.  
She’s here.  
She’s alive.  
And she looks happy to see him!

Callum throws his arms around her and starts sobbing.

“I told her to tell you...” rayla’s voice was soft and sad, “I told her to tell you that I love you. She didn’t do it did she.”

Callum found his voice, “no she didn’t. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, you fell because I was fast enough to catch you. I’m so sorry! This is all my fault! I didn’t mean to leave you, I failed. And you fell because of me...did...were...was it pain fu-“

“Stop.” Rayla cut him off,”it wasn’t your fault. So stop beating yourself up. And the only one who is at fault is viren. I decided to push him and all I wanted was to save zym. So stop moping around you big dumb human!” She says with a snicker.

Callum opened his eyes.  
He was back in his bed.  
Rayla was gone.  
It was a dream.

Callum gets up to draw at his desk. He takes a sip from the full cup of moonberry juice on his desk and focuses back on his drawing.

‘Please, rayla, just give me some sort of sign that things will get better.’ He thought as tears filled his eyes. ‘Oh man, I’m really going nuts. She’s not actually here.’

He reached for the glass of moonberry juice again, but this time it felt lighter. Callum looked at the glass.

It was empty.  
It was full two seconds ago.  
Callum’s eyes widen.

“I love you too rayla”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezran notices something

Over the last two day Ezran notices Callum looked less down, well he still looked really down, but he seemed a bit better. He decides to talk to Callum about it.

Ezran finds Callum in his room, drawing a picture of rayla.

“Hi Callum”

“Hey ez”

“I’ve noticed you seem a little bit less down. How do you do it?” Ezran asked, sitting on the edge of callum’s bed.

“Well, uh, you probably won’t believe me, but I had sleep paralysis the other night and I dreamed I saw rayla...she came in and told me everything will be okay. Then I still felt bad and when I went to bed last might, she came back again and told me that it wasn’t my fault. Then when I woke up I thought ‘rayla if you’re here, please give me a sign that everything will turn out well. And then i went and took a sip of my moonberry juice, the glass was full, and then when I went for another sip, the entire thing was empty...gosh saying it out loud makes it sound way more stupid...but I swear the glass was completely full. I just immediately thought that rayla was trying to tell me to not blame myself. I know it sounds stupid, but it’s starting to really help. Like she’s still here.”

A moment passes.

“I believe you.”

“Thanks ez. That means a lot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s super short


End file.
